Manchester United have been warned about a ‘tough negotiation’ for Viktor Gyokeres in a deal that could upset Sir Jim Ratcliffe and benefit a Premier League rival. Gyokeres is reportedly keen on a reunion with former Sporting CP boss Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford.
The striker has enjoyed a remarkable spell in Portugal since arriving from Championship outfit Coventry in 2023. His goals fired Sporting to the Primeira Liga title last season and he has already bagged 24 times this term.
Reports suggest that Gyokeres is hopeful of joining Amorim at United, either in January or next summer. But Red Devils chiefs have been warned about ‘tough negotiations’ with Sporting by Coventry owner Doug King.
King brokered Gyokeres’ departure to Sporting a little over a year ago. He revealed that Brighton, for whom the 26-year-old featured for three years, are due a portion of any sell-on fee.
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"That was a tough negotiation with Sporting Lisbon," King told talkSPORT.
"If he does get moved on to another chapter in his career, then we'll benefit, but I'm not holding my breath. We're not running the club on that basis [but] we'll take it when and if it comes.
"But realise as well that a large part of anything that comes our way heads down to his original club at Brighton. Everybody seems to think it goes straight into the coffers, but these sell-ons accumulate down the chain, so you need to be bringing them up from your academy, hopefully, to get the full 100 per cent, but a lot of it still goes down the chain."
Given that at least two of Gyokeres’ former clubs are due some of the fee Sporting receive for the Swede, the Portuguese champions will be keen to maximise their profit. It is claimed that Gyokeres has a release clause to the tune of £83m.
If Sporting do ensure any interested party matches that price tag, it could leave United co-owner Ratcliffe upset. The INEOS billionaire has previously insisted that he will not be forced into over-paying for targets.
United pulled out of a move for Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite during the summer over the asking price, instead signing Leny Yoro from Lille.
Answering a question specifically about Kylian Mbappe on the Geraint Thomas Cycling podcast last year, Ratcliffe said: “It’s not where our focus is, the solution isn’t spending a lot of money on a couple of great players.
“I would rather sign the next Mbappe rather than spend a fortune buying success. It’s not that clever buying Mbappe. Anyone could figure that one out. More challenging is to find the next Mbappe or next Bellingham or next Roy Keane.”
United could therefore face a tough negotiation for Gyokeres as they seek to bring down the fee.
